UM-led team of engineers gets $1.6M from NASA to study turbulence

ANN ARBOR — A University of Michigan-led team of engineers plans to use $1.6 million in funding from NASA to help develop a better description of turbulence.

The Ann Arbor school announced Friday that the project was getting money from NASA's Leading Edge Aeronautics Research program. Those involved say the work could enable more efficient airplane designs and improve the way weather forecasting is handled.

The research team will focus on turbulence caused by a plane moving through the air so fast that it no longer supports smooth airflow.

The project is headed by Karthik Duraisamy, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering. He says models for turbulence have stagnated in recent years. Others involved include researchers at Stanford University in California and Iowa State University.